1. The origin of Valentine’s Day was not all hearts & flowers. In fact, the only heart involved was that of a priest who had his own ripped from his holy chest.
And the only flowers were those placed upon his grave.
2. In 3rd century Rome, Emperor Claudius II decreed that men with no wives or children made for better soldiers.
So, guess what he did?
He outlawed marriage for soldiers.
3. A priest, Father Valentine, saw this as a grave injustice. He defied Claudius’ ruling, and performed secret marriage ceremonies for soldiers. When Claudius uncovered the deception, he ordered that Father Valentine be tortured & killed.
4. In addition to performing secret marriages, Father Valentine helped Christians escape from Roman torture chambers. Possibly because he knew what those prisons were like.
Legend has it that while imprisoned himself, Father Valentine fell in love with the jailor’s daughter who brought him sweetmeats during his confinement. He is believed to have written her a letter signed “From your Valentine” – which is where we get this Valentine’s Day expression.
5. During his life, Valentine was much loved for his compassion and endless aid of suffering Romans. In his death, he became a saint – the Patron Saint of Lovers.
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Can you guess which country on the list below DOES NOT celebrate Valentine’s Day?
No looking it up! Just take a wild stab at it! 😛
See the answer in my Happy Valentine’s Day post!
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See all 5 Medieval Facts of Life posts!
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Sylver Blaque 
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From what I’ve seen, Korean kids are trained to eat kimchi at a young age. They are given tiny pieces with their food and they acquire a taste for it. My own mother trained me by dipping it in water to make it less spicy.
I would not eat it on a date if I actually liked the person I was with and I’d be afraid of any military from a country whose population consumes that stuff…
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Great post! 😀
Thanx!
I love your macabre and bloody stories. And they are interesting and informative as well. Again, who knew! Not I, said the ancient one.
I’m so glad there’s someone else in the world as fascinated by the bloody macabre as I am 😛
haha Kimchi breath is the worst!!
Did you know Saint Valentines ashes are in a church in Dublin, Ireland?? Now you do!
I heard Valentines Day is being skipped this year due to simple maths… 14-2-12 = 0
Okay, w/ everyone dishing about kimchi, I now HAVE to try it…
And I had no idea about St. Valentine’s ashes being in Dublin. Thanx for sharing that info! Do you know which church? Have you been there?
It’s got to be North Korea. I mean who wants to be romantic after you and your significant other have just force fed themselves a huge helping of kimchi? (Do they have Listerine in N. Korea?)
Lmao! Hysterical! 🙂
I’ve never had kimchi but I know what it is and would be keen to try it. I voted for N. Korea as well. Doesn’t seem like a snuggly kind of place.